WASHINGTON -- Gilbert Arenas (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=974) has been fined for faking an injury to keep from playing in the Washington Wizards (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=was) home preseason opener.

Coach Flip Saunders said Wednesday that Arenas was fined an undisclosed amount by the team for claiming to have a sore knee before the Wizards' game against Atlanta on Tuesday night.

Arenas said after the game that he pretended to have a bum knee to give teammate Nick Young (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3243) a chance to start.

"I told [Young] I'd sacrifice playing tonight so he can get some time in because I know he's kind of frustrated he's not getting a chance to crack the [small forward] position, especially since we're going three guards,"

Arenas said Tuesday, smiling. "So I told him I'll go and fake an injury or say something's wrong with me so you can start."

When asked how his knee is feeling, Arenas said, "I'm fine," The Washington Post reported.

Arenas signaled he would play in the Wizards' game Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=mil), according to The Post.

It would have been Arenas' first game at home since his 50-game suspension and felony conviction for bringing guns into the locker room last season.

The guy must be crazy, why admit to it?

BillS

10-13-2010, 04:46 PM

Really shot himself in the foot that time :lol:

vnzla81

10-13-2010, 04:47 PM

Duma$$

BringJackBack

10-13-2010, 04:49 PM

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u43/nbaactionphotos/phxdrexler.jpg

Clyde the Glide was right.'

EDIT: and that picture is giant!

Brad8888

10-13-2010, 04:54 PM

Anybody want Arenas now?

But, I guess Clyde Drexler knows what faking injuries in preseason is all about from his commentary during the Houston game the other night, so I guess it happens a lot more than people probably would like to admit.

Just as a further message to Arenas though, if I were the Wizards, I would suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team for the remainder of the preseason to see what the rest of their players can do without him on the floor after the offseason, and then take a chance that he would fit right in as well as he otherwise would have when the regular season starts.

cdash

10-13-2010, 04:57 PM

At least his heart was in the right place.

graphic-er

10-13-2010, 05:01 PM

And to think, he is supposed to be the one who is gonna teach John Wall the ropes. As in the rope to hang himself with!

vapacersfan

10-13-2010, 05:02 PM

What did Clyde say on his broadcast?

flox

10-13-2010, 05:06 PM

Good for him, faking an injury so he can help out a team mate. I applaud this action.

31andonly

10-13-2010, 05:43 PM

One should think he would be happy to finally play again after 8..9..(how many actually?) months without professional basketball.

Brad8888

10-13-2010, 05:44 PM

One should think he would be happy to finally play again after 8..9..(how many actually?) months without professional basketball.

He is not to be confused with Tyler Hansbrough in this respect, that much is certain...

Shade

10-13-2010, 05:55 PM

I have no major problem with this, since his intentions were good and this is preseason.

Probably not a smart move to admit to it, though.

BringJackBack

10-13-2010, 05:59 PM

Even though it was done in good intention, isn't this the same corruption that they have been trying to erase since the whole gun thing after trading away all of their guys?

Kuq_e_Zi91

10-13-2010, 07:29 PM

If only Murphy pulled this last season.

vnzla81

10-13-2010, 07:31 PM

If only Murphy pulled this last season.

He wouldn't have any trade value and we could have never got Collison.(by the way I did not like the minutes he got)

d_c

10-13-2010, 07:35 PM

If only Murphy pulled this last season.

He pulled it on the last day of the 05-06' season because his rebounding average sat at exactly 10.0 on that day. (He had an incentives clause that would pay him more if he averaged a double double).

The game was meaningless anyways and I think most people with a brain would've done the same thing.

spreedom

10-13-2010, 08:42 PM

Once an idiot.....

Day-V

10-14-2010, 12:09 AM

Really? No one has posted Picard yet?

:picard:

I'm disappointed in all of you. That's just sloppy.

pacer4ever

10-14-2010, 12:42 AM

it is the preseason i would to lol

Hicks

10-14-2010, 01:15 AM

Good for him, faking an injury so he can help out a team mate. I applaud this action.

Pretty sure the coach would disagree. This is his time to tinker with different player combinations.

Slick Pinkham

10-14-2010, 09:48 AM

He could have asked for the preseason game off and claimed a headache or upset stomach. Even so, he shouldn't have admitted it was a fake. He is extremely dumb to think that if he says that his knee hurts then the story would end there. He is supposedly a big part of the team, and a sore knee is a big deal, so it was going to get noticed.

Just pure stupidity.

BillS

10-14-2010, 11:52 AM

And why would he not just go to the coach and say, "Coach, I think you should give Nick a chance to start in preseason"?

You have to lie to "help" a teammate, and then fans think you're a good guy because you did it? Puh-lease.

NuffSaid

10-14-2010, 04:26 PM

All I can say to this story is Agent Zero's heart was in the right place, (but on the surface of it) he just went about it the wrong way in trying to give the rookie a change to show what he could do. There's probably more to this story, i.e., maybe Gilbert did ask his coach to let the rookie have his slot for this one game and the coach refused. Who knows...

I do know that the next time Gilbert goes on the IL you can bet the fans will definitely question if his injury is real of fake.